This day in history

[April 18, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Monday, April 18, the 108th day of 2011. There are 257 days left in the year. The Jewish holiday Passover begins at sunset.

Today's highlight in history:

On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000.

On this date:

In 1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., warning American colonists that the British were coming.

In 1831, the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa was officially opened.

In 1910, suffragists showed up at the U.S. Capitol with half a million signatures on petitions demanding that women receive the right to vote.

In 1934, the first laundromat (called a "washateria") opened in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 1942, during World War II, an air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.

In 1945, famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima (ee-EH' shee-MAH'), off Okinawa.

In 1949, the Republic of Ireland was proclaimed.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser seized power, becoming prime minister of Egypt.

In 1978, the Senate approved the Panama Canal Treaty, providing for the complete turnover of control of the waterway to Panama on the last day of 1999.

In 1983, 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber.

Ten years ago: U.S. and Chinese diplomats began two days of talks over the April 1 collision involving a U.S. spy plane after Beijing and Washington staked out opposing positions on who was to blame for the incident.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush reshuffled his economic team, appointing Rob Portman his new budget chief. Chinese President Hu Jintao (hoo jin-tow) arrived in the Seattle area for talks with business leaders before heading to Washington, D.C. Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, was born.

One year ago: Tens of thousands of Poles bade farewell to President Lech Kaczynski (lehk kah-CHIN'-skee) at a state funeral in Krakow. Brian Davis called a two-stroke penalty on himself on the first playoff hole to give Jim Furyk a victory at the Verizon Heritage. Rafael Nadal defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-1 in an all-Spanish final to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the sixth straight year. Carrie Underwood became the first woman to win entertainer of the year twice at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Today's birthdays: Actress Barbara Hale is 90. Actor Clive Revill is 81. Actor James Drury is 77. Actor Robert Hooks is 74. Actress Hayley Mills is 65. Actor James Woods is 64. Actress-director Dorothy Lyman is 64. Actress Cindy Pickett is 64. Country musician Walt Richmond (The Tractors) is 64. Country musician Jim Scholten (Sawyer Brown) is 59. Actor Rick Moranis is 58. Actress Melody Thomas Scott is 55. Actor Eric Roberts is 55. Actor John James is 55. Rock musician Les Pattinson (Echo and the Bunnymen) is 53. Author-journalist Susan Faludi is 52. Actress Jane Leeves is 50. Talk show host Conan O'Brien is 48. Bluegrass singer-musician Terry Eldredge is 48. Actor Eric McCormack is 48. Actress Maria Bello is 44. Actress Mary Birdsong is 43. Rock musician Greg Eklund (The Oolahs) is 41. Actor David Tennant is 40. Country musician Marvin Evatt (EH'-veht) is 37. Rock musician Mark Tremonti is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Trina (Trina and Tamara) is 37. Actress Melissa Joan Hart is 35. Actor Sean Maguire is 35. Actress America Ferrera is 27. Actress Alia Shawkat is 22. Actress Britt Robertson (TV: "Life Unexpected") is 21. Actor Moises Arias ("Hannah Montana") is 17.

Thought for today: "War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth." -- Ernie Pyle, American war correspondent (1900-1945)

[Associated Press]

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